Signaling apparatus.



PATENTED FEB. 18, 1908. LG. HOMET.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

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. invention consists in certain novel features hereinafter shown and described an -apparatus, and is more particularly ada te --"for use in connection wlth electric ra way side elevation of a portion of arailway track,

JEWET G. HOMET, OF SCRANTQN, PENNSYLVANIA.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Yatented Feb. 18, ions.-

Applicatlon filed October 8. 1907. Serial No. 896,450.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, JEWET G. Homer, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Apparatus, of which the following is a speci- This invention relates to electric 'signalin systems, but it may also be employed n connection with railways operated by steam or other power.

One object of the invention is to produce a simply constructed apparatus whereby the location of a car upon any portion of the line is indicated at predetermined points, such as stat-ions, crossings, and at as many other points as may be required, so that ersons in the vicinity of the track are not' ed of the approach of the car, and also' as to its dis-, tance from the oint of. observation, and also as to the direction in which it is moving.

Another object of the invention is to pi-:ovide a simply constructed ap aratus, whereby a code of signals is established, which indicates the approach of the car, its distance from the observer, and the direction from which it is approaching.

With these and other objects in view, the

of construction and arrangement of parts 'specific-. all pointed out in the claims. I

n the drawings employed for illustrating the embodiment of the invention is shown th ,referred form of such embodiment, and in tne drawings thus employed, Figure 1 is a a car mounted upon the track, and the improved apparatus partly in diagrammatic orm arranged'adjacent to the track. Fi 2 is a transverse section on the, line 11 of ig. 1 with the car in end elevation upon the track. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are enlarged detail views of the contact mecl: anism, whereby the normally connected lamps are intermittently The improved device compnsesa rallway track indicated, as a whole, at 10, a car movable upon the track and indicated in outline at 11, aplurality of supports generally mthe I vals adjacent to the track, or at any convenient oint where the lamps carried thereby ma e readily observed, each post provided wit. one or more arms 13 projecting toward the moving car.

Attached to each arm 13 is a shaft 14 preferabl supported by bearings 15, so that the s aft may be oscillated in the bearings. Each shaft is provided with a depending arm 16 at its outer end, the arm projecting toward the car and into the path of a suitable block or other operating device 17 carried by the'car, so that as the car passes beneath the arm 16 the latter will be moved and thus oscillate the shaft 14. Attached to each of the supports 12 are as many stationary contacts 18 suitably insulated from the post as there are signal devices, and swinging from the "post are movable contacts 19, each movable contac't normally in engagement respectively with one of the stationary contacts, as shown. Each of the shafts 14 is provided at its inner end with 2. depending arm 20 adapted to actuate one of the swinging contacts 19, as by spaced pins 21 projecting from the swinging contacts and between which the swinging arms 20 extend. Springs 22 are arranged to maintain the g arms 19 normally in their central position and in constant engagement regectively with the contacts 18, as shown. y this arrangement it will be obviousthat as the car 11 moves alon the track. and causes the operation of the s afts 14 through the co-action at the blocks 17 and the arms 16, the swin contacts 19 will be disengaged for a rief period of time from the stationary contacts 18, the period of time depending upon the sizes or blocks 17, as hereinafter more fully explained. Attached to each of the supports 12 are electric lamps each indicated, as a. whole, at 23, the lamps connected with the contacts 18'-19 by wires '24 and 25, as shown. The lamps are also connected in series by conductor Wires 2627 to any suitable source of electric )ower, indicated diagrammatically at 28. y this simple arrangement it wil arev normally in circuit with the source of electric power, and will remain illuminated so long as the contacts 1819 remain engaged, but when the car )asses beneath the arms 15 the circuits are broken for a short engths of the 5 form of posts 12, disposed at suitable interperiodof 'time and -the lamps extinguished, 11o

thus indicating to the observer that a car is moving, and fourth, it will be Obvious that by approaching. The lamps may be located at suitable intervals, as for instance, at stations, crossings, and at other points where it is desired to notify passers by of the approach of the can;

The above description embraces the invention in its simpler form, but a simple code of signals is employed in connection with the apparatus which materially increases its usefulness and enlarges its scope, and these enlarged features will now be described.

As before mentioned two or more of the arms 13 may be employed on each sup ort l2, and for the purpose of illustration t iree of thescarms are shown in Figs. 1-2-3 and 4 each with its separate rock shaft 14 and its series of contacts 18-19, and each wit-h its lamp 23,and the car 11 is provided with a corresponding number of blocks 17, one block for each of the depending arms 16, in the illustration 3 of each member being employed, as above noted. It will be obvious,

owever, that any required number of arms and series of contacts and lamps may 'be em loyed.

he lamps may preferably be surrounded by casings or hoods having openings covered with glass, mica, or other transparent material of different colors, as required. The

lamps arranged to be operated through the 1 contacts associated with one of the arms will be provided with hoods having red transparent material over their openings, while the hoods covering the lamps associated with another set of contacts will be provided with green transparent material, and the lamps associated with other contacts will be provided with other colors, as may be requ red, and it will be obvious that the color scheme may be extended to any required extent, and I do not desire, therefore, to limit the invention to any particular number of the colors or their arrangement, as this may be varied to suit circumstances. Then again, the-operating block 17 may be arranged to signal in any desired manner or at any suitable intervals. For instance, the arms 16 of one set of shafts 14 may be arranged to operate the shaft to which they are connected when the car is moving in one direction only, by simply removing one 'of the pins 21. By this means, when the car is moving in one direction it will not operate the arms 16, conse uently the signal will be made only when t e car is moving in the opposite direction, and thus the device may be employed to indicate to the observer from which direction the car is approaching, as will be obvious. It will thus be obvious that a simple code of signals may be readily arranged to denote to the observer, first, that a car is approaching, second, from what direction the ear is approaching, third, 65 the distance at which the car is located or noting the intervals of time between the extinguishment of the lights it will be a very easy matter to estimate the speed at which the car is approaching, as the posts or supports 12 are generally located at equal distances apart, and by timing the intervals of extinguishmcnt of the lights, the speed can be readily estimated.

While we have shown an improved construction capable of producing the required results, we donot desire to be limited thereto, as the minor details of construction may be varied, as required, and changes may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages. 0

Another advantage of the improved device is that si nals may be readily transmitted over the line in either direction by actuating the movable arms 16 by hand, so that in event of accident, for instance, a conductor or motorman may readily notify the next sta tion that help is required, employing in this connection a system of pro-arranged signals.

/Vhat is claimed as new is 1. In an ap aratus of the class described, a plurality 0 electric lamps connected in parallel, and means whereby said lamps are 5 consecutively extinguished momentarily by a moving car.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a plurality of lamps, and means whereb said lamps are consecutively extinguishe momentarily by a moving car...

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a railway track, a car movable upon said track, a lurality of electric lamps spaced apart and connected in parallel, and means 5 whereby said. lamps are momentarily extinguished consecutively by the moving of said car.

4. In an ap aratus of the class described,

a railway trac a car movable on said track, l

a plurality of'electric lamps spaced apart and connected in parallel, and means operative by said car whereby said lamps are consecutively extinguished momentarily. v

5. In an ap aratus of the class described, 5 a plurality 0 electric lamps disposed at spaced intervals and connected in parallel, and means operative from a moving car whereby said lamps are momentarily extinguished consecutively.

. 6. In an a paratus of the class described, a plurality 0 electric lamps, asource of electric power, means for maintaining said lamps normally in circuit with said source of electric power, a moving car, and means opera-v 125 tive from said car whereby said circuit is momentarily broken consecutively between each pair of lamps.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, a railway track, cars moving upon said track,

electric lamps disposed at intervals adjacent to said track, a souiee oi eleetiie power. mean: for maintaining said lamps normally in eireuit with said eleetrie power. and int-am operative by a movingcar whereby said t-irruits are eonseeutiveb' broken and the lamps |uoinent;u'il extingnislual.

S. in an apparatus oi" the (lass titbit'l'iifl'ti, a plurality of supports spaced apart and earl] provided with a set of eontaets comprising a stationary member and a lHUYitllltB itlilllinl' normally in engagement. an eleetrie lamp eonneeted with eaeli set of said euntarts, a .souree ot' elect rie ptmel. means for maintaining said lamps lmt'mnll in (.ii't'tlil with said eietrir po\\'er.and means aetuated by a mov. in;: ear for sueiressively opera-11in; said movalileetmtau-ts tocausc said lanipsto he thereby momentarily extinguished SU(('(S.\i\(l t). In an apparatus of the (lass tlOsfl'iln-d, a plurality of eleetrie lamps eaeli having a. transpareul shield of adill'erent mini, :1 SUUIt'C of eleetrie power. means for maintaining said lamps nm'mally in eireuit with said eleetrie power. a moving ear, and means operated by said ear for breaking said eireuiis and momentarily extinguishing said ianips in predetermined order.

in testilitmi) whereof l allix my signature in present-e of t \\'n wit litsses.

.i l'll't' ET (I. lit ).\l ll'l. Witnesses:

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